Basil Chidi Funk is an accountant and Florida-based investor who specializes in fintech, real estate and consumer goods and supports female-founded enterprises. He is also a consultant and advisor to several startups in the United States and Africa. Previously, he was the global lending and structured products FinOps lead at Blockchain.com where he oversaw the issuance and servicing of over $5 billion in loans and receivables.
Prior to joining Blockchain.com, Mr. Chidi Funk was the acting chief operating officer at LendStreet Financial, a lending fintech company that specializes in helping customers get out of financial crisis. Prior to this role, he was the head of strategic initiatives and people operations at LendStreet. He has also taught as an adjunct professor at Golden Gate University in San Francisco.
Mr. Chidi Funk has nearly two decades of experience in management consulting and financial services, specifically consumer lending. He was head of accounting policy at Lending Club and vice president/director of mergers and acquisitions and of special projects at OneMain Financial, one of the largest consumer lenders in the country. He also worked at PwC and Ernst & Young on their transaction advisory teams.
Prior to transplanting to Florida, Mr. Chidi Funk was affiliated with several organizations in San Francisco, including the Battery Club, the Urban Services YMCA of San Francisco (board member), the Trevor Project (ambassadors’ council), the Charles A. Becker Foundation (board member) and the National Association of Black Accountants Bay Area Chapter.
Mr. Chidi Funk has a bachelor’s degree in business economics from the University of Arizona, where he graduated with honors and received the undergraduate dean’s award. He also has a master’s degree in accounting from the University of Virginia and was a participant in Ernst & Young’s YMP program. He completed the entrepreneurship leadership program at Stanford University, where he is currently undertaking graduate studies.